04 November 2004

A brief moment in narcissism - I would like to dispel a rumor, or what could possibly be one. Folks around here think I got my name because I make sandwiches. Funny, I had a feeling this would happen, and I knew I would have to explain it somewhere. Even funnier, I’ve never worked in a kitchen before. My name is Sandwich because I have a plastic sandwich lunchbox that has not left my side since 1995.  It's my Favorite Thing In The Whole World. I love the sandwich. I got it at a yard sale in Connecticut for fifty cents. When I moved to San Francisco for college, people would recognize me as "oh yeah, that girl, the one that has a plastic sandwich." Yeah. It's always been an extension of my left arm, so a few years later, I got a tattoo of the sandwich wrapped around my left calf. I take pictures of the sandwich everywhere I go around the world. It's the best thing ever.

Over the summer, I was looking for jobs to go back to the ice. I put some emails out to people I knew in different departments at the USAP HQ in Denver. To make a long story short, my sup from last year called me in September and said "Sandwich, I think it would be absolutely hilarious if you would come be our sandwich girl." The name got me the job, not the other way around. It's been funny, people coming up to the deli during lunch, "Ooh hoo! Sandwich is making sandwiches!" Yep. That's my job, don't wear it out.

Technically, I am a prep cook. Realistically, I make sandwiches. I run the deli here at McMurdo. This means I slice. I slice a lot. When I come into the galley in the morning, I slice cheese, then I slice more cheese, then I clean the slicer before I slice meat, then I slice a different kind of meat after I clean the slicer again, and then after I slice a different kind of meat, I slice or clean the slicer. Sterilizing everything in between, naturally. At lunchtime, I assemble sandwiches for a few hundred people. Today, I sliced, and I will go to work tomorrow and slice more. My slicer's name is Hobart. People say, "is that all you do, make sandwiches?" No. I slice. And I make tuna salad when we have it. The kids like tuna. You should see their faces when it's tuna day. I like my job. It makes people happy. Usually.

Last year I was a DA (or dining attendant, but since McMurdo loves acronyms we'll stick with DA). My stories from this year might not be as entertaining, as I won't be sanitizing floor drains or scrubbing 1000 pots a day. Funny how people enjoy those sarcastic stories of misery more than the ones from people who genuinely love their job. I rationalized that being a DA was better than working in an office because I can laugh more at what I do: "Hee!!! Sanitizing floor drains is My Favorite Chore!"  "Hey everybody! Let's wear hairnets - Electively!!!"  "Guess what!? I just found out my brother has the same job as me..... IN PRISON!!" As I was on my way down here this time around, I thought about the amazing people I met and worked with last year. David from Detroit had a Master's in Philosophy, served in the US Army in Kuwait in the 90's, and was an incredibly funny person. Nick was always cracking jokes about our job and by doing so got most of us through it. Angelique was the only person I knew who stayed true to her significant other back home in Park City and could put on a Jersey Jew accent as bad as mine. Amy was an artist and graphic designer in Boulder. Joan was a dental hygienist from Alaska and had a daughter my age. Lavonne has a couple few decades on me and many more miles, but man, does she know how to live life. She lives on a sailboat she built north of San Francisco and rows into shore everyday on her dinghy with her cat. Jeff was a lawyer. There were about 27 of us last year. We all were something. Washing dishes. In Antarctica. 

On 22 October 2004, I arrived during family meal (when galley staff eat) and saw a table of blue-shirted brethren by the windows, in the exact tables where we used to sit. A flood of memories came rushing and all of the sudden it felt like I never left. They were laughing loudly at something. I wanted to run over with my heaping bowl of Frosty Boy and Sprinkles and see David doing his New York Times crossword and trying to talk post modernism to Ang, while Nick put funny things in his mouth and up his nose and Brittany laugh in her chirpy high pitched laugh. These new folks looked like they were already a tight crew, even though most of them had only been here a week or two. How could these new guys possibly have as much fun as we did doing the same banal things? There's a special place in my heart for that.

I haven't gone out much in the 2 weeks that I've been here. I took a shuttle to Scott Base for Trivia Night a couple days ago, and the pressure ridges where the sea ice meets the Ice Shelf are huge and sharp and beautiful this year. Didn't see any seals, but in a couple weeks there will be lots of them over there. Halloween was great, and one of the biggest parties of the season. I would say over 1/3 of the population gathers there clad in festive attire, and some of the costumes are very clever. I think the Antarctic themed ones are the most clever: Pontius Pallet, LDB (long duration balloon), Frosty Boy, and Osama bin Penguin. Shucks I didn't get my Leper Seal gig together in time. Instead, I brought 3 inflatable "party" sheep with me (a wise use of my 75lb weight allowance), attached them to a crook, and got my Little Bo Peep on with a sign around my neck that said "Clean Sheep For Rent - Daily, Weekly, Monthly."  The crackheads were also good. And authentic.

The weather yesterday was beautiful. It was 12. I helped unload 14,000 lbs of freshies. I touched it all. Today's weather was a bit more blowy, and put a fresh coat of icing on Ob Hill. I like it when it looks like that.

This year, I have Town Hours (7am - 5pm) with Sundays off, which I am psyched about. I might also get holidays off this year as well. On Mondays, I have a radio show from 8-10pm with Phil (DJ Philthy) called Philthy Sandwich. We play Mad Libs on the air and encourage listeners to call in requests and give us an adjective, noun, or verb. It takes about two hours to complete one Mad Lib, but it's interactive and gets folks to call in. We threaten to play bad music if they don't. I'm also taking 2 classes for 6 college credits, I'm on a volleyball team, a dodgeball alternate, work at the bowling alley part time, and pretend that George Bush didn't just become our President. Again. (??!!!??!?)

On that note....

Goodnight America.

sandwich.

PS - Happy birthday, bro.